Staff shortages and low morale plague police departments

Story by Brooke Dougherty
Graphic by Jonathan Avila Flores

Eric Rucker always wanted to be a cop. But he shifted gears along the way and chose to pursue fitness. When COVID hit, he decided to go into the paid Raleigh Police Academy to bring in money.  

He was a month away from graduating in 2020 when he sustained an injury. 

In 2021, he rejoined the academy because he had something to prove. Rucker graduated from the academy in May. In October, the 36-year-old finished his 20 weeks of hands-on field training. 

Rucker is entering into the police force at a time of turmoil. 

“The media portrayal of officers themselves is that they are bad, that they are horrible that they are all corrupted in some way, shape or form or if you aren’t now you are going to be later,” Rucker said.  

Many North Carolina officers, like Rucker, are left to pick up the pieces as recruitment, retention and morale have hit new depths in the past few years. With fewer hands on deck, existing officers have more on their plate.  

Many police departments across North Carolina are suffering from lack of new recruits and high turnover rates. In June, the Raleigh Police Department had 168 vacancies and had lost 77 officers since 2020. Currently, vacancies are at 150.   

In January, Winston Salem was down 100 officers, adding up to 20% of the workforce. In March, the Asheville Police Department was “down about 41% of available officers on a daily basis,” the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.  

Cops are leaving law enforcement because of lack of support from the public, growing calls for police reform, higher stress environments, and insufficient benefits.  

The Changing Perception of Police Officers  

Estella Patterson, former deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, was appointed as the Raleigh Police Department’s chief in August.  

Patterson said that the biggest reason that people have fled the profession nationally is because they haven’t felt supported or appreciated.  

“When you work a 10-hour shift…you’re putting so much into it,” Patterson said. “You’re answering calls, you’re preventing crime, you do all these things, but then to turn on the television and hear people saying to cut police budgets, that is very deflating and demotivating.” 

When Rucker was growing up, television programs glamorized being a cop. Now, there is a spotlight on the darker side of law enforcement.  

“No one wants to be told that they are worthless (and that) nobody needs them.” Rucker said. “(People) believe that officers are these super beings but when one of them makes a mistake – it’s not ‘oh they’re human’ – it’s ‘oh they are completely flawed and they should be out.’” 

An officer who graduated with Rucker and asked to remain anonymous said that she sometimes keeps the exact nature of her job private for fear of someone’s reaction. She tells new acquaintances that she works for the City of Raleigh, instead.  

One time, a casual friend asked her if she was going to “go out there and take some more innocent blood.”  

In recent years, Rucker said that there is a double standard for officers who are having to balance the much-needed oversight and transparency with the public’s reaction to their mistakes. 

“We are not perfect – we do our best, but we also react with the situation that we have at hand,” Rucker said. “Officers are like, ‘that is a very high pedestal to be put on and the stress of making sure that I’m walking on that tight rope is just too much for my own sanity.’ So, they (leave) and then calls just end up getting bigger.”  

Higher Stress Environment for Existing Officers  

Police officers also must take on longer shifts, accept more calls and ride solo when on-duty.  

“I’m not even off of training, yet, but I’ve probably seen more than officers who are three-to-four years in have seen just because of the nature of things,” Rucker said about the calls he has had that have stuck with him. 

“It’s no secret that Raleigh is hurting for people,” Rucker said. “Calls seem heavier as if you are out on your own, but then it also doesn’t help when it seems like on a weekly basis an officer is getting shot in some way, shape or form.” 

Patterson said that the department is looking at establishing two-person vehicles, which could help alleviate the fact that many officers feel that they never get a mental break while out on calls alone.  

“They feel like if you had a second person in the car there at least you can get a break from driving so that you can refocus and recharge in-between calls,” Patterson said about the positive impact that having two cops answering calls together could have on lessening stress.  

Emphasis on Mental Health Resources  

An officer in training in his early 20’s who asked to remain anonymous said that he puts a lot of effort into separating his civilian life from work. 

“I think a lot of officers that struggle with taking stuff home and not being able to deal with what they see and do is because they don’t hang out with anyone else but other officers and they work off duty. They never take off the uniform,” he said. “It’s a hard job and it will take a toll on you if you don’t proactively plan your off time.” 

The Raleigh Police Department is putting an emphasis on strengthening mental health resources.   

Patterson said that Raleigh has a full-time psychologist because it’s important that the officers have someone they can trust to speak to, give them advice, counseling, and direction on how to handle stress.  

The psychologist oversees all six districts, and she is able to give referrals if officers need additional resources. 

Rucker said that the department’s trauma counselor has been beneficial, but more counselors are needed.  

Chief Patterson said that the RPD is expanding its volunteer Chaplin program in order for the offices to have someone to talk to who is outside of the police program. The Chaplin program is a neutral, third party that spans across faiths that officers can speak to. 

In addition to a volunteer Chaplain program, the RPD offers a confidential wellness app that allows officers to seek peer and employee support and information regarding nutrition and physical fitness injury prevention. 

Police with the UNC Police Department have access to mental health resources as all UNC employees do. The department is working to provide officers with more mental health resources and incentives to stay in the field. 

UNC Police Chief Brian James had been police chief in Greensboro before he transferred to UNC in July. James said he intends to advocate for extra mental health resources for public safety employees. 

James said that that if you cultivate a connection with your officers, you can detect if someone if their performance is starting to slide and if they need a break. 

“Within a department, you have to make sure you have good people in place in supervisory positions that are keeping check on folks,” James said. 

Recruitment and Retainment Incentives  

As morale and recruitment plummet, officers are seeking higher pay, more benefits and an increase in department budget.  

The wife of the Durham police officer who requested anonymity said that police work requires riding around dealing with people that no one wants to deal with for $40,000-$45,000 a year after taxes. 

“There needs to be higher pay, but some of that pay should be benefits and bonuses, and an increase in department budget certainly wouldn’t hurt,” she said. 

Patterson said that the Raleigh Police Department is working to increase compensation for their employees. The chief said that City Council did approve a raise this year so that the RPD can be competitive in the market. 

“Even as you advance up to being a four-year or a six-year or a 10-year officer kind of thing, that the rate of pay is competitive with our surrounding agencies,” Patterson said. 

“It’s important to me that our police department is reflective of the community we serve,” Patterson said about being able to pay officers for speaking a second language. 

For Chapel Hill police officers, James said that the State has enacted an initiative where officers are being moved from employees subject to the State Human Resources Act to employees that are exempt from the State Human Resources. 

Converting UNC law enforcement officers from SHRA to EHRA is important because they will still retain the rights of a SHRA employees regarding employment matters, but it is essentially a new classification afforded to sworn law enforcement officers. 

This switch will give the UNC Police Department the ability to increase pay and offer recruitment, retention and education bonuses for various degrees. 

“What we hope, is that it will also help us from a recruitment standpoint to recruit people into the profession that have advanced degrees,” James said.  

“Hopefully, going forward, that will help us to enhance the profession and also our police department here at UNC.” 

UNC-Charlotte has already implemented this initiative in September, but the North Carolina State initiative should take effect for UNC-Chapel Hill Police in January 2023.  

Local Police Officers Look Forward  

Despite the lows of the job, Rucker said that there have been moments during his time as an officer that have been uplifting. 

“(Being a police officer) gives you a smile as you go back to your patrol vehicle when you help a citizen out and they’re absolute worst day is lessened because you are there to help them,” Rucker said. 

“(Knowing that) whatever the call was, that you were there.” 


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